Part 1 – Sanae Suzuki – How Macrobiotics Cured My Ovarian Cancer & My Destructive Lifestyle that Caused It!

SHOW NOTES – Podcast #9

Title: Sanae Suzuki – How Macrobiotics Cured My Terminal Ovarian Cancer & The Story of My Destructive Lifestyle that Caused It – Part 1

Description of Show
Part 1 – Sanae’s story is often a typical story before someone gets diagnosed with a cancer or serious disease.  I feel it is a good story to share so you can see in hindsight how a destructive lifestyle is a big stress to the body & how eating unhealthy offers zero nutrition to the body which in the end often causes a shocking diagnosis that wakes the person up!  That is the case for Sanae and in this interview she opens up to share her story & her cure. Part 1 is mostly about her story and intertwined thru that is some macrobiotic principals and information. What I love about her story is that she faced adversity so many times in life yet she never gave up and believed whole heartedly that she could heal herself and overcome life challenges. It is the perfect story to show just how strong the body can be to heal when you feed it the right food.  In today’s world they say 1 out of 2 people will be diagnosed with cancer therefore doing all we can to learn things to keep us away from such diseases is very important. And if you combine that with the high cost of healthcare, which is unaffordable already for most people, then we need to learn to use an organic whole food plant-based diet to heal ourselves.  This will heal on the deepest level and not just take away symptoms unlike medical treatments or drugs that have not done anything to remove the cause.  Macrobiotics has been known as a diet that heals many diseases, especially cancer, for hundreds of years.  Enjoy and be sure to stay tuned next week for Part 2.

Teaser
That is Sanae Susuki, well known author, macrobiotic counselor & teacher.  Her story will not only inspire you and show you how plant based diets heal even the worst diagnosis, but it will also show you how a destructive lifestyle often precedes a horrible diagnosis.  Stay tuned for her story.

Intro
This is episode #8 with Macrobiotic expert & well known author Sanae Suzuki.  

Welcome to vidalSPEAKS. My name is Deborah Vidal, former 11 year LPGA Golf Pro turned classical homeopath, certified plant based nutritionist & wellness coach.  Each week here on vidalSPEAKS we bring you knowledge, inspiration, or natural remedies to help you take charge of your health and feel your best.  I believe health is FREEDOM& knowledge is power so tuning in each week will give you the power to take steps towards FREEING yourself from the chains that hold you back from having the energy to do all you want in life.  No matter where are in your journey of wellness vidalSPEAKS can help I promise!

Hi there my podcast family and friends!  How are you today?  I hope you are all having a great day and maybe after the vidalSPEAKS podcast you will be feeling a bit happier because you will have learned and enjoyed a great story. I hope so and you know that my intention is always to inspire you and support you on your personal journey.
Today I have an interview for you with Sanae Susuki.  (Read bio below)

Sanae’s story may sound like it never ends once you start listening to it.  At first when I was listening to it back after I had recorded it I wondered if I should cut some of it out only because it was long… but I hate to do as I want to share the raw story… and after I listened to it a few times I realized that what is MOST important is how her story of her poor diet, destructive lifestyle & marriage, along with her series of losses and griefs is the perfect example to show all of you just how cancer or other diseases take hold when we put the body under this kind of stress.  When you can listen to the timeline of another persons life as they share it, you get the opportunity to see it in the hind sight and see just how much her body got sick and how it was giving her clues something was not right.  Many of us don’t pay attention when we are just tired, or if we have survived some months on little sleep, too much alcohol and poor nutrition, but her story shows you that if you don’t one day you will face the consequences. With the world in such a state now where we feed ourselves and our kids, GMO processed foods and we are exposed to so many chemicals and pesticides it should not come by surprise when we get a scary diagnosis unless we have worked on taking care of our one and only body.  No one will escape the law of nature, it is only a matter of time before an unhealthy lifestyle will catch up with you.  I think Sanae’s story is a brave way to teach the world to wake up and live life in a way that she learned is a must to have a chance at a healthy life.

About Macrobiotics
(According to Oshawaat) http://www.ohsawamacrobiotics.com/macrobiotics/what-is-macrobiotics
 

Just a little bit now about macrobiotics….
Macrobiotics is the practical application of the natural laws of change. The term comes from the Greek; “macro” means great, and “bios” means life. It is a tool that allows one to learn to live within the natural order of life, the constantly changing nature of all things.

Macrobiotics is the result of the tireless work and vision of George Ohsawa (1893-1966). Ohsawa developed tuberculosis at the age of fifteen. By the time he was eighteen, his mother, younger brother, and younger sister had all died of the same disease. His own illness had progressed to the point that the doctors had given up all hope for him. Determined to overcome his condition, Ohsawa began searching for alternative theories of health. He based his theory and practice of macrobiotics on Sagen Ishizuka’s (1850-1910) theory of balancing mineral salts, the early heaven’s sequence of the I-Ching, yin and yang, and other ancient Eastern concepts. He lived to the age of 73, devoting his life to teaching macrobiotic theory and writing on science, ethics, religion, and philosophy from a macrobiotic point of view.

The macrobiotic approach to diet emphasizes whole grains and fresh vegetables. For the most part it avoids meat, dairy foods, and processed foods. The goal is to provide the body with essential nutrients so that it can function efficiently without loading it with toxins or excesses that must be eliminated or stored. And since the body is always adjusting to changes in the environment and in its own aging process, its needs will always change as well. The idea is to balance the effects of foods eaten with other influences on the body, largely through diet, and to adjust to changes in a controlled and peaceful manner.

A basic tenet of macrobiotic thinking is that all things—our bodies, foods, and everything else—are composed of yin and yang energies. Yin energies are outward moving, yang energies are inward. Every thing has both yin and yang energies, but with either yin or yang in excess. Most of the foods that make up the standard American diet have very strong yin or yang characters and also tend to be acid-forming. In contrast, macrobiotic practice emphasizes the two food groups—grains and vegetables—that have the least pronounced yin and yang qualities, making it easier to achieve a more balanced condition within the natural order of life. Living within the natural order means eating only what is necessary for one’s condition and desires, and learning to adjust in a peaceful way to life’s changes. Learning the effects of different foods allows one to consciously counteract other influences and maintain a dynamically balanced state. The resulting freedom from fear and the new sense of control are two of the most important benefits of a macrobiotic practice.

A macrobiotic practice encourages the body’s natural ability to heal itself. If the body is not burdened by toxins and excesses, it can function better and thus heal any illness that does occur. Anybody who begins a macrobiotic diet goes through a period of healing, beginning with the elimination of accumulated toxins and excesses. Those who are already following a macrobiotic diet may also have periodic health problems, and can adjust their diets accordingly. Of course, there are factors other than diet that affect health; true macrobiotic practice emphasizes balancing extremes in all areas. Finally, the goal of macrobiotics is not to avoid death, which is part of the cycle of life. Rather, it seeks to ensure that each person’s life is long, healthy, and enjoyable.
The conventional nutritional approach holds that each individual needs certain amounts of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals each day, based on a statistical average of everybody’s needs. This makes the recommended daily allowances easy to comprehend, but does not allow for the uniqueness of each individual’s changing needs. It eventually leads to stagnant thinking. The macrobiotic approach maintains that what works for one person will not necessarily work for another, and that what works one day may not work the next. Therefore, using macrobiotic principles means to determine the foods best suited to us based on our current condition and what we want to become. In other words, a macrobiotic approach requires a change in thinking from a static view of life to a dynamic and flexible one. This leads to real freedom. The first and most important step is to change from a diet based on meat and sugar to one based on grains and vegetables.

Very few people can make such a radical shift overnight. Instead, most people learn macrobiotics in stages.

Let me tell you a little bit about Sanae now and then we will get on with the interview.

Bio of Sanae Suzuki
Sanae is a whole health macrobiotic counselor & educator, a flower essence practitioner, & a certified massage therapist for people and pets. She is also author of several macrobiotic cookbooks and her latest is on dogs and is called Healthy Happy Pooch. She is co-owner of the organic, vegan macrobiotic cafe in Venice, CA called Seed Kitchen.  She has studied with Michio Kushi, world leader of macrobiotic education and found of the Kushi Institute in Becker, MA, which is world renowned. She holds a certificate of recognition from the Kushi Institute International for macrobiotic teaching.

She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 1993, which inspired her to learn about natural healing and macrobiotics.  8 years later, she suffered a near fatal car accident in the Arizona desert where she had an out of body experience where she sustained serious injuries.  She overcame these difficult life challenges through practicing and embracing the philosophy of macrobiotics, the 12 step program, and Vipassana meditation.

Sanae has taught and cooked extensively in the US, Japan, the Caribbean, UK and Europe.  It is her desire to help plant a seed of physical, intellectual, and spiritual happiness that will flourish wishing herself and each person she meets.  She is originally from Japan and resides in Santa Monica, CA with her husband Eric Lechasseur, her golden retrievers and alley cats!

Now let me tell you the basis behind a macrobiotic diet so you can go into this interview knowing a little bit of what it is so you can understand the interview in depth.  Also be sure to check out my show notes as I have links for a few great books. I especially love the Home Remedy Book by Michio Kushi.

Closing
So how was that for you guys?  Sometimes I think it is very difficult to listen or watch someone making so many bad choices when you can see what is going wrong or even if you can’t it still must be hard.  Often I feel that is one of the hardest situations you can be in when you believe in something and then you watch someone you care about choose a path in life or in their healing that you believe is wrong.  But we all have to remember we need to make our own choices but also that we have to live with the consequences of our choices. But on the other side too, Sanae’s story shows us how hard it must be for the cancer patient that chooses not to go down the path of traditional western medicine & how some of her friends gave up their friendship because they were so angry about that and felt she was killing herself by not doing the chemo and radiation recommended by doctors.  I personally have seen this wth my best friend Ellen who had no support when she chose to heal without the suppressive treatments.  It is not an easy road and none of us know how it will end but the bottom line is we each have to do what we feel is right and live with the outcome no matter how it turns out.  No one can tell another what to do, but sadly today I believe people are pressured by their doctors into doing the protocols that western medicine has put in place for many chronic diseases and they don’t get any other opinions from experts in natural medicine.  They often make decisions out of fear and pressure and without any other knowledge and that is what is sad to me.  I think in the future more and more people will no about all options & make better choices that feel they are choosing what feels right based on the knowledge of both medicines.  Maybe they will even incorporate the natural into the western treatment, but one thing is for sure we have to become more informed about other options.  I hope the vidalSPEAKS podcast is one tool to help educate millions one day!

Links

These are the links to Sanae Suzukis websites

www.loveEricInc.com
www.seedkitchen.com
www.healthyhappypooch.com

Kushi Institute is the leading macrobiotic educational center in the world. Here students from around the globe attend residential-style programs on the macrobiotic approach to health and healing.

http://www.kushiinstitute.org

About Mr. Kushi
A well known teacher and spokesperson, Mr. Kushi is also known for his dedication to the cause of world peace, and is the founder of The One Peaceful World Society. A prolific writer, Mr. Kushi is the author of several dozen books, including The Macrobiotic Way, The Cancer Prevention Diet, The Book of Macrobiotics, and One Peaceful World. Among his many recognitions, he has received the Award of Excellence from the United Nations Society of Writers. Mr. Kushi was honored for his work in June, 1999, when the Smithsonian Institution announced the acquisition of his collected work as part of their permanent collection. That same month, Mr. Kushi was asked to speak before the United States Congress during a hearing on the role of diet in relationship to breast cancer.

Books -(You can find on products page at vidalSPEAKS.com)
Healthy, Happy Pooch by Sanae Suzuki

The Hip Chic’s Guide to Macrobiotics by Jessica Porter

Macrobiotic Home Remedies by Michio Kushi

Goodbye

Well…. you know what time it is…
Time to say goodbye

Thanks for listening.
Hope you enjoyed the show!

Peace!
Remember the healing power is in plants!

Be Healthy
Be Free
LIVE LIFE!